Peanut

I haven't added anyone to the "Nodes of Gold" roster recently, but I think I just might have a new inductee: an Orangutan named Peanut.

Peanut lives at Jungle Island in Miami, with her fraternal twin sister Pumpkin. (Apparently, Peanut is the energetic, outgoing twin.) The twins gained some fame in the spring when iPads were incorporated into their training, with the hopes that the iPads would help them to better communicate. (The idea was introduced by a man who had used iPads in training dolphins. Who knew?)

In July, Peanut had some surgery to clear an obstruction, and they found that she had Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL, an aggressive form on NHL). Peanut is being treated with R-CHOP, which is the standard treatment for humans with DLBCL, too.

By all accounts, Peanut is doing well. The Jungle Island tumblr page has a brief video of her first day outside after treatment. She seems a little sluggish, but that's a nice reminder to all of us cancer patients -- take it easy on yourself, huh? Sit and relax and enjoy the sunshine (or the cool fall breezes that will be coming soon). And stick around for the end of the video for a nice shot of that cute face.

Good luck, Peanut.